[shancz]

Originally Posted by gearhead_gypsy

I would like to purchase a compact SUV, ideally a diesel.
Which one of these vehicles I should sell first.

Lets list some points that I gather from your posts and please correct me if I have misunderstood anything.

1. You don't need 2 cars anymore and would be happier with 1 car to maintain and insure.
2. You don't like the Creta primarily for its FE and want to get rid of it.
3. You like your 2016 i20 Elite Diesel for its peppiness and FE.
4. Your annual running will be around 10-12k kms.
5. You aren't prepared to put in the money for a hybrid as yet.

Also,
6. Your usage doesn't justify a diesel.
7. Don't expect any diesel CSUVs with the RDE norms, if there are any the price increase will be significant.


You didn't mention why you wanted to sell the i20 if you like it so much ? Is it the manual transmission?
If so then both the Vitara Brezza Diesel and the XUV300 come with an AMT and it isn't the best experience.
The S-Cross diesel was manual only so that doesn't work either.
Plus all these cars would be of a similar age as the i20 or maybe 3-4 years newer. This doesn't make sense to take a hit in selling and buying only to get a 3-4 year advantage.
Buying a BS6 diesel for city based usage anyway runs a high risk of premature DPF issues.

My suggestion :
Points 1-5 conclusively suggest to sell the Creta and enjoy the i20. Its still valid till 2031, you can easily enjoy it for at least 3-4 years, let the hybrid market settle down and then look for something like the HyRyder or whatever is available then.
In the meantime if you want to refresh your i20 you can look at getting it serviced from a good ASC/FNG. Then get it detailed from a good studio, some upgrades like wheels and tyres, ambient lighting, ICE etc.

Do read these threads for some valuable insights :
- GTO (ARTICLE: YOUR 5 year old car : Keep, Upgrade or Swap?)
- blackwasp (Your car's midlife crisis - How to rejuvenate your existing car and save a lot of money)
- GTO (How a more expensive car can work out cheaper (if you hold onto it for longer))

[gearhead_gypsy]

Originally Posted by shancz

Lets list some points that I gather from your posts and please correct me if I have misunderstood anything.

I appreciate your suggestion very much. Now that things are clearer, I can make a decision.

[rohan_iitr]

Hi friends,

Looking for some suggestions to keep/upgrade my car.

I have a (Jan 2009) Hyundai i10 1.1 irde. The car is trouble free and has done only 60k kms. I really like the car because of its compact dimensions and adequately powered engine. The car is perfect for city use, except for the following issues:
1. The car would be reaching 15 years in Jan 2024. So the registration needs to be renewed. Not a biggie though.
2. The car is a manual transmission. I feel like upgrading to an automatic/automated transmission. Also, I have managed to get my wife to learn driving. But she is not very good with clutch and gears. (Hope she is not reading this)
3. I stay in an apartment complex, which provides only one parking slot by default. I have the option to purchase a second parking slot, which would cost me around 4 Lakhs.
4. I want to buy a new car, but do not wish to sell this car since resale value would be very poor at 15 years age, whereas the car still has lot of life remaining.
5. My office and residence are located within 3 kms. I can literally walk or cycle to my office, but it takes time and messes up the office attire.

I am able to think of 2 options, need your help in deciding:
Option 1 : Sell the i10 and buy a better car (such as Brezza/Fronx etc) with an automatic/automated transmission. I won't need to buy a second parking slot, but the brand new car will have to bear the brunt of my wife's learning. Also, we will only have one car in the household.
Option 2 : Retain the i10, buy a second parking slot and buy a similar car (such as nios/ignis etc). With this option, we will have 2 cars (one manual and one automated) at our disposal. I can retain the i10 for few years and then go for a pre-owned sedan or compact SUV.

Please note that I need a dedicated car for commuting to office because the weather in Bangalore is very unpredictable. Hence, walking/cycling/2-wheeler is not a preferred option on a regular basis.

Rohan

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by rohan_iitr

Please note that I need a dedicated car for commuting to office because the weather in Bangalore is very unpredictable. Hence, walking/cycling/2-wheeler is not a preferred option on a regular basis.

Rohan

Bigger query is if you need two cars.

If not, and if you are happy with the i10, it would be better to continue with it and let your wife get comfortable driving - it's only a matter of practice before the manual becomes second nature to her and then of course upgrading to a newer automatic then would be sensible - automatic just for the ease of driving but it's always good to learn on a manual if ever an emergency arises.

If you need two cars then look at getting another compact auto which she can use as a daily - can even go the pre-owned route given how manufacturers have now started to swap CVT / TC gearboxes for AMTs - something like a Baleno CVT / WagonR with the old 4 school auto, previous gen Grand i10, etc. and pick up something bigger for yourself as and when the need arises depending on your requirements then - growing family / more highway driving, etc.

You should even look at the option of renting a second parking if needed - could be more economical if there are any available.

[rohan_iitr]

Thanks for the response.

Just to respond to your suggestions:

1. My wife has been riding gearless scooters till now. The concept of clutch and gears is very difficult for her. Also, she finds 3 pedals very difficult to manage. She has been though driving classes and I also taker her for practice in the evenings. But I don't think she would be confident driving a manual transmission in traffic.

2. I am not too keen on going with a pre-owned vehicle for the following reasons:
- Bangalore's pre-owned car rates are so high that its better to just buy a new vehicle
- Since my existing car is nearing 15 years, I would like to have another new car in the garage
- Since the car would be used by the missus, reliability is very important. Also, I don't have the time to visit the service centres to fix niggles.
- I would have considered a pre-owned car if my requirement was for MT. But for AT/AMT, I am not too sure about past issues, reliability and future expenses.

Rohan

[car_guy1998]

In dilemma whether to retain my 2014 City iDTEC or not

We have a 2014 Honda City iDTEC VMT at home, which was bought preowned in 2017 when the odo was at 35k Kms and has run 160k Kms on the odo till date and running in good condition except it needs timing kit replacement, which I'll be getting during next service and recently got it restored by getting repainted the whole car and also, got the tyres replaced recently along with engine mounts and gearbox mounts. Almost an year and 25k Kms ago, got the whole suspension overhauled.

Since we had sold off the 2011 Innova an year ago, thought why not get the City restored and as per the plans, we got it restored/refurbished as it was looking a bit old and assuming that we'd be using it for another 1-2 years and spent nearly ₹2L on getting the dents removed/new coat of paint, suspension overhaul, engine and gearbox mounts, new tyres and new battery and in the interim, we had Taigun 1L TSI MT too for few months. Post cosmetic restoration in Dec 2022 (gave the car to ASC in Nov) and at the time of restoration, the odo was at 145k Kms and, we've driven around 15000 Kms till date since Dec 22 and new tyres have already run around 3500 Kms in 4 weeks of getting it installed.

The reason I want to let go of my City is we want to upgrade to AT as driving in city traffic became cumbersome these days. Other than that, there are no any other problems on my City. And, this car is driven by myself, my parents and chauffeur on daily basis. Since my mom, whose age is 53, also drives this car on regular basis, thought why not get an AT so that she can drive it easily.

But this will happen in an year down the line since we will be purchasing primary car soon this year as City is the only car at home at present.

After seeing the used car prices in Delhi/Mumbai, I got an itch to get one replacing our City Diesel with any of used Diesel AT (sedan mostly) and willing to source one from any of these cities and the budget I've set is ₹10-12L and can extend the budget till ₹15L tops if I get a well maintained ones and get it sorted mechanically as well as cosmetically.

The cars I'm considering in used market are:

BMW F30 320D (might get 2013-2015 ones I guess if its out of state vehicle)
Skoda Octavia 2.0 TDI DSG (2015 and later and I can find one easily)
VW Jetta TDI DSG (2014 with bixenons and later- bit difficult to get well maintained car and one should have enough patience to get a well maintained and less run car)
Skoda Superb TDI DSG (maybe I'd be getting 2014-2016 versions in my budget)

Coming to new vehicles, the budget would be ₹20L and below. If new, then I'd have to think of getting a Sonet D AT or Verna 1.5 DCT or Virtus 1L TSI AT.

Which one should I look for? Since the ban on Diesels aren't happening in Hyderabad anytime soon, willing to buy one and use it till it lasts before shifting to EV.

[EvilZombie]

Originally Posted by car_guy1998

In dilemma whether to retain my 2014 City iDTEC or not

The reason I want to let go of my City is we want to upgrade to AT as driving in city traffic became cumbersome these days. Other than that, there are no any other problems on my City. And, this car is driven by myself, my parents and chauffeur on daily basis. Since my mom, whose age is 53, also drives this car on regular basis, thought why not get an AT so that she can drive it easily.
.

I wouldn't replace a 10yr old vehicle with another 10yr old for that budget, especially considering you have done considerable work on the City recently. I would probably keep that as primary car and look for an alternate AT for your parents. If they prefer Sedan, used market has decent options.

Browse the options and you can find a lot of 3- 5yr old Verna's around 10-12 lakhs

Maybe look for Petrol options as well, then you will have even more choice in that price range, and also have more newer cars that have less km on ODO

For new car, Slavia/Virtus and Verna are good options if you want to stay with Sedan.

[car_guy1998]

Originally Posted by EvilZombie

I wouldn't replace a 10yr old vehicle with another 10yr old for that budget, especially considering you have done considerable work on the City recently. I would probably keep that as primary car and look for an alternate AT for your parents. If they prefer Sedan, used market has decent options.

Browse the options and you can find a lot of 3- 5yr old Verna's around 10-12 lakhs

Maybe look for Petrol options as well, then you will have even more choice in that price range, and also have more newer cars that have less km on ODO

For new car, Slavia/Virtus and Verna are good options if you want to stay with Sedan.

The 3rd gen Verna also would be a good option in my budget considering that it has Diesel AT and explosive 1.6 D motor.

Also, I can get 2018-19 Vento/Rapid TDI DSG as well within my budget but bit hard to find a well maintained, low run car.

And, we are even ok with getting a Petrol since our running will become less if by chance I move out of the country this year for higher studies and it'll be used by mom when I move out.

[germin]

Hi everyone, been thinking about upgrading my vehicle and we have a few options. Need input from everyone on what would be the best upgrade to our existing garage.

Our current garage is split between my father and me and we are living in different cities. Father has 2 cars Grand i10 Nios for his commute within the city and a 2020 Jeep Compass Petrol MT for the highway duties. I currently drive a 2011 Honda Civic AT. I was thinking of changing my car and found a 2017 1.4 MT Octavia which is within my budget and seems like a good upgrade over the Civic (I do not mind switching to an MT from an AT). When I discussed with my father regarding the upgrade he asked me not to go preowned and gave me an option to take the Jeep Compass that he currently drives and we get an Innova Hycross petrol AT for him. He does not want to spend the money for a Hybrid as the car is not driven a lot to justify a 6-7lakh premium.

I liked the Octavia a lot and it has been on my list for a while but I am also in a dilemma whether we should get a new vehicle for my father as it will be a good upgrade for him to switch from an MT to an AT and servicing will also be easier as currently he has to drive 90km to the nearest Jeep service center for the annual maintenance.

Please let me know what would should be the right choice here and which car should we buy a preowned Octavia or a new Innova Hycross?

[RoadFiend]

BACKGROUND
In my small family, I’m the only one who drives. A driver ferries the kids to school and the wife to office. Come pandemic, my own employment turned work-from-home, and I no longer have a daily commute. Therefore, I can justify owning only one car, at most two; although we can park four.

However, I’m a hopeless car lover – and therefore this post – badly seeking your encouragement!

CURRENT
About a year ago, we got a Tata Tigor EV sedan, in which the driver does the ferrying. This is the only car that sees daily usage (~8k kms so far).

We also have a Hyundai Grand i10 Asta AT Petrol hatchback from 2015, which is still in mint condition (~36k kms) and just shod in new Continental shoes.

And our oldest, the 2012 Toyota Fortuner 4x2 AT Diesel SUV is also our dearest, in which we have done most long drives along with daily duties in the past. Although it has munched many miles (~103k kms) it still rolls nary a rattle or groan.

My middle school daughter is fond of the Fortuner. My higher secondary school son has no interest in automobiles (actually wanted to do the last Goa trip by air!!!). His mother shares that indifference (except some warmth towards the occasional passing beemer).

PREDICAMENT
Being a hopeless car nut, I went ahead and also booked a Maruti Suzuki Jimny as soon as bookings launched this past January (the top Alpha AT trim, and in Kinetic Yellow, how can one resist!).

So now, we will be submerged in 4 vehicles – a fact leading to daily arguments at dinner table. Since we have parking for 4, I am hoping to justify various reasons for requiring each. In this process, I’m realizing that garage has to be optimized, especially now that I’m closer to 50 than 40, and YOLO iykyk?

POSSIBILITIES
This table shows the current stable and possibilities for change (have budgeted the options).



What would you do in my shoes?

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by RoadFiend

What would you do in my shoes?

Replace i10 with Jimny and call it a day if you really want it; otherwise continue with the garage as is.

[TheGearBox]

Originally Posted by RoadFiend

This table shows the current stable and possibilities for change
What would you do in my shoes?

The Jimny can replace the i10 and do the job of Car 2, you really don't need the 4th car.

If the itch to upgrade is really strong and you have the means, then you can also replace the Fortuner with one of the Beemers (preferably an SUV).
If not, you should be happy with the Tigor, Jimny and Fortuner in your garage.

[TravelGrande]

Background:


I had to retire my 2012 Fortuner AT at 85000 KM due to NCR draconian rule for 10 years old diesel cars. I did have other plans. Had transferred the registration to HP (where I have a house) and was keen to keep it for another at least five years. It was anyway used for Himalayan, jungle or long distance driving with 70% of the mileage clocked during out of town sojourns. But couple of encounters on the road with some friendly cops convinced me of the futility of continuing to keep it in NCR. I was heartbroken as I had changed the tyres (Yokohama) in December and transferred the registration in September 2022. Within four months of spending almost 2 lacs I had to dispose the car to a very happy buyer from Punjab who couldn’t hide his beaming smile and still sends me the pics of the car to ruin my otherwise peaceful days.

The Toyota love story:

It began in 2007 when I bought an Innova for our family use. We had an Endevour in those days and Innova was the little one that was used mostly by my wife and kids. Soon it became the preferred car for our needs. Cherished the Innova experience for almost 10 years when the car was stolen from right outside the gym where we were working out. That too was an experience but that is a story for another time another day.
The Love story continued and I bought a Camry Hybrid in 2015 post a horrendous experience with one of the German luxury brands. In all, at one point in time, my garage boasted three Toyotas – 2007 Innova, 2012 Fortuner and 2015 Camry Hybrid. After the loss of Fortuner Camry is our mainstay these days so much so that I had even taken it to Kedarnath recently. It handled everything well, but it is a Camry afterall and I am aware of its limitations especially on the roads that I travel on.

Now for the Dilemma:

After loosing my Fortuner I booked a Innova Hycross as I am done with Diesel as long as I live in NCR. As luck would have it, I ended up booking a ZXO and we all know the delivery situation of the same. In between my eyes were set on a Jimny, my wife really liked it for all the wrong reasons (for her it was cute and easily manageable), I did too (hopefully for the right ones- always wanted to own a gypsy and have seen what those cars are capable of doing in the hills and jungles), we went and booked the same too. The whole idea was to have a Jimny and a Hycross. Jimny will be used by my wife for her errands and both of us for our adventure trips whereas Hycorss will be used for the more sedated and family trips.
However the recent fiasco with the Jimny pricing combined with the teething troubles (reports of noise and dynamic torque problems) that this vehicle is having has put my plans on hold and I have started thinking of alternatives for the current needs.

Another idea that I had been toying with was to wait for the new 2024 TGNA-F Hybrid Fortuner whenever it gets launched in India and make do with Jimny for now and put the Hycross on hold. But that looks somewhat unattractive now, looking at the uncertainty around the new Fortuner launch and the fact that it will again be a diesel.


Our requirement is that we need a smallish car that can be used for running daily errands and by my wife, mostly for work. She was using the Fortuner earlier for her day to day needs and sometimes did find it cumbersome to park. Now we have decided that we will go for a smaller car for that purpose. My cars have almost negligible daily runs and most of the travel is out of NCR a few times in a month and to places in the hills that may not necessarily have great roads.

After scanning the available cars – mind you my bigger car will be a Toyota for sure, I have been thinking of a Fortuner – Petrol (yes, don’t start making faces, I am aware of the issues, but as I said, I am done with Diesel as long as I am in NCR). This will serve the need for my adventure trips and will also be good enough for the family ones. For the smaller one my eyes somehow got stuck on a Tata Punch. The Fortuner petrol delivery will take a few weeks and Punch is ready delivery. That of course is an added bonus.

Whereas my mind says that this is the right course of action for me, somehow I am not sure what will I think that when I will look at a Hycross and the Jimny in the future. Would I rue my decision of having passed the chance of owning a Jimny and a Hycorss. Somewhere I am still trying to convince myself that both of those will also cost almost same as the Punch and Fortuner petrol combo and will be more fun to experiment with. Of course MSIL will fix the issues that are currently plaguing the Jimny. The comparison of a Fortuner and Punch vs Hycross and Jimny Combos, at the outset seems to be a comparison of apples and oranges but when I look at my needs almost all of them get fulfilled with both of them.

I am in the process of doing a test drive of all four cars as they become available for the purpose in my location. Am in touch with all the dealers and getting more and more confused as the days are passing.

Will certainly come back to the forum to share what I finally do. Meanwhile let the jury be out and tear the combinations that I have settled for - apart.

[attrip2008]

Reposting in a simplified format in what seems to be the right Thread (Mod: please check me on this)

It's been a while that I have been contemplating adding a second car to the garage.

Now seems to be the right time (or excuse) as my wife will be starting to go back to office more regularly and so has decided (or been convinced) to learn to drive and will need a car to herself.

We have a 2018 (gen 1 facelift) Creta 1.6 Petrol SX AT. It has been doing duties diligently, but

>engine -gearbox combo is only average
>has only has two airbags

Budget: Starting 12 lacs and have set a stretch cap of 30 lacs that has implications for 10 years.


I am thinking wife will learn to drive in the Creta and will drive it going forward, and I get a new car for myself. Afterall, I am the enthusiast (self acclaimed )

Preferences which are clear. Car has to be-
- Automatic (TC or DCT, no AMT)
- Petrol (I am in NCR)
- Safe (and a preference for 6 airbags)
- Fun to drive (would prefer Turbo engine) – let me have some fun irrespective
- One of the European / American brands

Since we already have a Creta, I am considering two options:

A: Get Virtus GT now and save money to upgrade Creta to better SUV in ~6-7 years – GT will really add spice to those city runs and occasional highway runs in a safe car setting. I will still have some budget to play with for Creta upgrade later.

B: Get something like Octavia and don’t worry about future– This is a very heart driven option. I realize the Octavia is discontinued but there is grapevine it might come back along with Superb, so I can wait. But it is all still in the air. It is also the most expensive option anyway that will eat up all my budget and leave little room for any decent future garage upgrade for a while.

For now, I have decided to go with Option A and booked a Virtus GT. But I am a bit jittery. Hence, revisiting my options with this group to be sure!

[sameerg]

Originally Posted by attrip2008

Reposting in a simplified format in what seems to be the right Thread (Mod: please check me on this)

It's been a while that I have been contemplating adding a second car to the garage.

Now seems to be the right time (or excuse) as my wife will be starting to go back to office more regularly and so has decided (or been convinced) to learn to drive and will need a car to herself.

We have a 2018 (gen 1 facelift) Creta 1.6 Petrol SX AT. It has been doing duties diligently, but

>engine -gearbox combo is only average
>has only has two airbags

Budget: Starting 12 lacs and have set a stretch cap of 30 lacs that has implications for 10 years.


I am thinking wife will learn to drive in the Creta and will drive it going forward, and I get a new car for myself. Afterall, I am the enthusiast (self acclaimed )

Preferences which are clear. Car has to be-
- Automatic (TC or DCT, no AMT)
- Petrol (I am in NCR)
- Safe (and a preference for 6 airbags)
- Fun to drive (would prefer Turbo engine) – let me have some fun irrespective
- One of the European / American brands

Since we already have a Creta, I am considering two options:

A: Get Virtus GT now and save money to upgrade Creta to better SUV in ~6-7 years – GT will really add spice to those city runs and occasional highway runs in a safe car setting. I will still have some budget to play with for Creta upgrade later.

B: Get something like Octavia and don’t worry about future– This is a very heart driven option. I realize the Octavia is discontinued but there is grapevine it might come back along with Superb, so I can wait. But it is all still in the air. It is also the most expensive option anyway that will eat up all my budget and leave little room for any decent future garage upgrade for a while.

For now, I have decided to go with Option A and booked a Virtus GT. But I am a bit jittery. Hence, revisiting my options with this group to be sure!

Virtus is quite a capable car. I don't think you will regret buying it. As for Octavia coming back, I would say if, and when it comes back, the price could be quite a jump. I guess it would be close to the current Tiguan, if not more. Keep that in mind when you take the decision.